Anglo-Swiss baritone Richard Burkhard is a singer-actor of chameleon-like versatility and creativity. Utilising his charismatic stage presence and the beauty and technical prowess of his voice to full effect, he enjoys a reputation for bringing life and depth of character to his roles.
His repertoire encompassing roles as varied as Ford Falstaff, Tonio Pagliacci, Harry Easter Street Scene, Papageno Die Zauberflöte, Garibaldo Rodelinda and Amfortas Parsifal, Richard has regular appearances at English National Opera, Opera North, Scottish Opera, Garsington Opera and Opera Holland Park to his name as well as productions at Teatro Real Madrid, Palau de les Arts Valencia, Opéra de Monte Carlo, Opera National de Lorraine in Nancy, Bregenz Festival, Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre and New Zealand Opera.
Highlights in recent seasons have included Don Alfonso Così fan tutte with Classical Opera Company, Papageno and also Count Gil Il Segreto di Susanna at Scottish Opera, a role he also sang at Opera Holland Park, along with Major-General Stanley Pirates of Penzance, and La Rocca Un giorno di regno, Don Fernando Fidelio and Faninal Der Rosenkavalier at Garsington Opera, Harry Easter at Opera de Monaco and in Madrid, Gianni Schicchi for Opera North, Garibaldo at the Bolshoi, and Ford at Garsington, for which he was nominated for Best Singer in Opera for the UK Entertainment Awards.
This season Richard sings the role of Junius The Rape of Lucretia with Potsdamer Winteroper, the role of Felix in Violet with Britten Pears Arts, Theatre Director in Donizetti’s Viva la Diva with the Buxton Festival and Sir Joseph Porter in HMS Pinafore with Opera Holland Park.
Other career highlights include Tiridate Radamisto (Northern Ireland Opera)‚ Quince A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Palau de les Arts‚ Valencia and Opera North)‚ Sprecher Die Zauberflöte (Garsington)‚ Lieutenant Horstmayer Silent Night‚ Tonio‚ Dulcamara L’elisir d’amore, Lhotský Osud, Figaro The Marriage of Figaro‚ Nikita in the British premiere of Weinberg’s The Portrait and Sir Despard Murgatroyd Ruddigore (Opera North)‚ Tomsky The Queen of Spades and Cascart Zazà, Michonnet Adriana Lecouvreur‚ Malatesta Don Pasquale and Gianni Schicchi (Opera Holland Park)‚ Dandini La cenerentola (Scottish Opera), Marcello La Bohème‚ Mamoud The Death of Klinghoffer, Pish Tush The Mikado‚ Yamadori Madama Butterfly‚ Bosola The Duchess of Malfi, Falke Die Fledermaus and Garibaldo (English National Opera), Tolstoy Sevastopol (Royal Opera House Opera Shots), Sharpless Madama Butterfly (Royal Albert Hall), Oliver Simons The Shops (Bregenz Festival), Papageno at New Zealand Opera and Junkman & King Augustus Candide (Opera National de Lorraine‚ Nancy).
Concert highlights include the Hallé Orchestra with Carl Davis, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Edo de Waart, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment under Sir Roger Norrington‚ and performances with Emmanuelle Haïm in New York‚ Barcelona‚ and London. Recently recital highlights took Richard to Klavier Fest Ruhr as a guest of Irwin Gage‚ and to De Singel in Antwerp.
Richard started singing as a boy treble in the Choir of St George’s Chapel, Windsor. Later he combined his two passions, theatre and music, and graduated with Distinction from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (then RSAMD), before being awarded a bursary to study at L’Accademia Muiscale di Chigiana in Siena, under the renowned tenor Carlo Bergonzi. He is a previous recipient of the Decca Prize at the Kathleen Ferrier Vocal Awards at Wigmore Hall, and winner of the Royal Overseas League Voice Competition.
Highlights in recent seasons have included Don Alfonso Così fan tutte with Classical Opera Company, Papageno and also Count Gil Il Segreto di Susanna at Scottish Opera, a role he also sang at Opera Holland Park, along with Major-General Stanley Pirates of Penzance, La Rocca Un giorno di regno, Don Fernando Fidelio and Faninal Der Rosenkavalier at Garsington Opera, Harry Easter at Opera de Monaco and in Madrid, Gianni Schicchi for Opera North, Garibaldo at the Bolshoi, and Ford at Garsington, for which he was nominated for Best Singer in Opera for the UK Entertainment Awards.
This season Richard sings the role of Junius The Rape of Lucretia with Potsdamer Winteroper.
Burkhard started singing as a boy treble in the Choir of St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. Later he combined his two passions, theatre and music, and graduated with Distinction from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (then RSAMD), before being awarded a bursary to study at L’Accademia Muiscale di Chigiana in Siena, under the renowned tenor Carlo Bergonzi. He is a previous recipient of the Decca Prize at the Kathleen Ferrier Vocal Awards at Wigmore Hall, and winner of the Royal Overseas League Voice Competition.
This biography is for information only and should not be reproduced.
Sullivan The Pirates of Penzance (Major-General Stanley)
Opera Holland Park (August 2021)
With effortless style, Richard Burkhard pattered precisely through the Major-General’s tongue-twisters and cut a touching figure as his clockwork oomph began to unwind.
Peter Reed, Opera Magazine
If I’ve heard the ingénue lead sung this well only rarely, in the case of Richard Burkhard’s Major-General Stanley I can safely say never. This under-valued baritone, last seen as Faninal in Garsington’s Der Rosenkavalier, is one of the UK greats and should be celebrated as such. He had a giant clockwork mechanism in his back (yes, he was a toy soldier) and needed winding up at key moments to help get him through his flawless patter song. Brilliant.
Mark Valencia, Bachtrack
Strauss Der Rosenkavalier (Faninal)
Garsington Opera (June 2021)
Richard Burkhard’s nervy, robustly sung Faninal
Hugh Canning, The Sunday Times
“Richard Burkhard’s Faninal was a more sympathetic figure than usual, his aspirations more sad than contemptible, and his singing nobly rather than ingratiatingly phrased.”
Melanie Eskenazi, MusicOMH*****
Among the smaller parts, Richard Burkhard was a hilariously parvenu, resonantly sung Faninal…
Hugh Canning, Opera Magazine
CD: Eccles Semele (Juno), Academy of Ancient Music
AAM012 (January 2021)
Richard Burkhard and Helen Charlston mine some divine comic scenes as the king of the gods and his jealous wife Juno.
Richard Fairman, Financial Times****
Richard Burkhard captures Congreve’s sensual yet thoughtful Jupiter, texturing every word.
BBC Music Magazine (Recording of the Month)
…leading to a lovely duet with Jupiter (the excellent Richard Burkhard), ‘If this be Love’.
Colin Clarke, Rhinegold
Richard Burkhard, assigned the opera’s most Italianate music, sounds slightly inhibited reassuring Semele in his first aria but quickly grows in ardour.
Gramophone
Richard Burkhard brings to Jupiter the suavity of voice and silky touch of the seducer, giving the delicious “Lay thy doubts” the lightness of spirit it needs.
Opera Magazine
Weill Street Scene (Harry Easter), Opéra de Monte Carlo
(February 2020)
Harry Easter (abusive boss, Sam's rival) is unpleasantly sweet, clingy and dances to perfection thanks to Richard Burkhard.
Florence Lethurgez, Ôlyrix
Richard Burkhard proves to be excellent at Harry Easter
Emmanuel Andrieu, Opera Online
Weill Street Scene (Harry Easter), Teatro Real Madrid
BelAir Classiques DVD BAC162 (November 2019)
...the slick sophisticated economy of actor-singers such as the baritone Richard Burkhard, outstanding as Rose's predatory boss.
Christopher Webber, Opera Magazine
Eccles Semele (Jupiter), Cambridge Handel Opera Company
(November 2019)
All the vocal soloists were excellent... The baritone Richard Burkhard was a convincing Jupiter, smooth and resonant
Sandra Bowdler, Opera Magazine
Wolf-Ferrari Il segreto di Susanna (Count Gil)
Scottish Opera (September 2019)
Clare Presland and Richard Burkhard reprised their roles from Opera Holland Park’s summer production with beguiling vivacity and charm
Rowena Smith, The Guardian****
Wolf-Ferrari Il segreto di Susanna (Count Gil)
Opera Holland Park (July 2019)
…the leads are beautifully played by Richard Burkhard and Clare Presland
Hugh Canning, The Times
Designs by Takis establish an atmosphere of postwar dolce vita, and alongside two wholly engaging principals — Richard Burkhard alternately blustery and burnished as Gil, and Clare Presland’s kittenish, beguiling Susanna
Richard Bratby, The Spectator
Richard Burkhard neatly layered Gil's jealous outrage with moments of pure lust for his exasperating wife; his singing steered clear of simple caricature and both singers knocked sparks off each other in their blazing row, one of opera's finest
Peter Reed, Opera Magazine
Mozart The Magic Flute (Papageno)
Scottish Opera (May 2019)
Richard Burkhard sings beautifully as Papageno, making him more than a mere comedian...
Simon Thompson, The Times****
Richard Burkhard reprised his role in a splendid central crowd-pleading performance as a charming Papageno, clowning gloriously with his bells.
David Smythe, Bachtrack****
The comic genius of Mozart's work is probably best personified by Papageno, beautifully characterised and sung by Richard Burkhard as the cocky, cheeky birdcatcher, who acts as the earthy everyman as we move through this story. He is a vaudeville showman - witty and vulgar at the same time, and he effortlessly breaks the fourth wall to conspire with and amuse the audience in pantomime style. It's the way this character moves across the stage and uses the sets that highlights the fluid and subtle choreography of the whole piece...Burkhard as Papageno deftly steals the show...
David Petherick, Edinburgh Festival*****
The new cast was altogether classier than in 2012… It boasted a real communicator in Richard Burkhard’s Papageno, never over-egging the humour...
Andrew Clark, Opera Magazine
Threatening to bring the house down, however, is Richard Burkhard, whose lovelorn yet jovial Papageno overflows with warmth, wit and charm.
Kelly Apter, The Scotsman****
...his hilarious sidekick Papageno (Anglo/Swiss baritone Richard Burkhard on delightful form)...
Mark Brown, Herald Scotland
Puccini Gianni Schicchi (title role)
Opera North (February 2019)
Burkhard is a brilliant Schicchi‚ firm-voiced‚ a lovable rogue even if – as he shrugs off in his spoken epilogue – Dante did consign him to hell for this deceit.
Mark Pullinger, BachTrack****
Richard Burkhard’s Schicchi commanded the stage, his firm baritone brooking no opposition. He duped the lawyers with a credible imitation of the deceased whose will he was co-opted to rewrite
Martin Dreyer, Opera Magazine
These photos are available to be downloaded.
Right click on a desired image and select the "Save Link As" option.
